


Even Finding Space Has Its Own Consequences

by thepriceofahat



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: meee? projecting my own trauma onto doug? never!, pre friendship pals, probably sets back the friendship, renee does a not very nice thing to doug, she wasn't fucking kidding about corporal punishment officer, very VERY pre friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepriceofahat/pseuds/thepriceofahat
Summary: Post Mission Mishap where Doug does his spacewalk. Miss Minkowski wasn't dicking around about beating his ass. Eiffel panics.
Kudos: 12





	Even Finding Space Has Its Own Consequences

Eiffel was dreading going back into the station. And by dreading it was more him twisting his own stomach in a knot while his air supply dwindled. Minkowski's words had yet to leave his mind. He didn't quite know what corporal punishment meant but his rudimentary English told him that corp meant body and... Oh adding all those pieces together he was SURE he wasn't gonna like whatever the hell his commander had in store for him. No amount of drifting in the endlessness or talking to himself didn't help to soothe him. He tried to talk. He tried to hum. He tried to do anything to distract himself from the self pity pooling at the pit of his stomach. But before he knew it? He was getting an alert that he had only a little more than enough air to get back in. At that statement Doug's mind immediately started to wonder if he'd be better off just sitting here. Waiting for his air to go out and just dying in his space suit. Minkowski would probably still degrade him in death. Minkowski would DEFINITELY degrade him in death. After the small amount of thinking he decided that he should get into the station unless he REALLY wanted to suffocate. And so he drifts his way to the airlock... Takes his sweet sweet time taking off his suit and gear and finally. Slowly. And very very hesitantly asks Hera to open the airlock door.

Lo and behold Renée stands there in the hall towards the rest of the ship, her arms crossed and her face stern. Doug realizes that he's made Renée mad before but never quite like this. The anger in her eyes smoldered beneath the surface as she managed to give Doug a wicked looking grin.

"Well, well, well- If it isn't our favorite Comms Officer!" Her voice was cool and even. "Though I don't know why we even call you that when you don't even do the work to be QUALIFIED for it." Doug felt like he was going to throw up as Renée spat the words. "Hell you barely do enough work to be considered a slacker! That would imply that you acknowledge that you have work to do! Yknow officer I have a THEORY! And my Theory goes that you're some poor sap that just so happens to have the name Douglas Eiffel. And that you weren't meant to be on this ship! And that the one that's supposed to be with us is still on earth, wondering why his crew left without him! Because I REFUSE to believe that Goddard Futuristics could be so stupid as to send someone LIKE YOU INTO SPACE WITH A COMPETENT CREW!" And she raised her hand above her head as if to bring it back down across Doug's face.

Renée was so caught up in her own diatribe she had hardly stopped to look at Doug. But now that she had her hand poised and she was looking her subordinate dead in eyes she realized he had flinched. And that every little movement out of the corner of her eye was not Eiffel's normal tics and fidgets but a flinch. She slowly started to lower her hand to her side, feeling something akin to pity as she saw the tears building atop Doug's eye and his face struggling not to contort into any expression other than neutral. When her hand was finally back down by her side Doug finally released a breath he wasn't quite aware he was holding. The release of air turned into a sigh and then into a short laugh.

"Oh- Ah, um... Oh god Commander! You r-really threw me for a loop! Oh god- Oh god I thought you were gonna kill me! Gl-Glad you were joking eh commander?" The end of his sentence turned into a nervous laugh. He scratched at the back of his hand and blinked away the tears, trying to ignore the balls of water that slowly floated towards Minkowski.

She sighs and her compassionate expression leaves in exchange for her steely one. When she speaks its moreover back to her usual tone. "Well- God, Doug, pull yourself together. You have ten minutes to calm yourself then just- God just get your tasks done... And clean up your tears before they short out our electrics..."

Doug nods and gives a hasty salute as Renée drifts off. Once checking that his commander is out of earshot he lets out a dry sob, his chest heaving in a silent sort of panic as he curls up on himself in the hall of that god forsaken space station.


End file.
